


i think i kinda you know

by Bowenini



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arguments, Denny's, Established Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts, F/M, Fluff, HSMTMTS Family, Hurt/Comfort, Nini Salazar-Roberts Loves Ricky Bowen, Ricky Bowen Loves Nini Salazar-Roberts, Theatre Kids, oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bowenini/pseuds/Bowenini
Summary: "you know how we can talk all nightand not run out of things to talk aboutit's rare that somethin' feels this rightit feels so right"Oneshots of our favorite, angsty and lovesick pair - RiniREQUESTS OPEN
Relationships: Big Red/Ashlyn Caswell, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts, Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	1. rules

So, I'm opening up a oneshot book. Requests are open at the moment so please send some through, and I do have some ideas of my own that I intend on writing. I do have a couple of rules when it comes to requests, however:

  * I **will not** write smut. It's simply not something I'm comfortable writing at the moment. Perhaps that will change in the future, but it won't at the minute.
  * Updates may take a while. Life is kinda hectic at the moment and I'm doing this to help relieve some stress, though I am still incredibly busy and so it may take me a while to write requests once they are sent in.
  * I may reject certain requests due to personal reasons. If you have a suggestion, still send it through though. If I cannot write a one shot, I will aim to send a comment explaining why I cannot.



That's pretty much it - start sending through requests guys!!


	2. some mistakes get made, that's alright, that's okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the one where Ricky and Nini have their first big fight after getting back together, and everyone knows about it
> 
> REQUESTED BY: @BRIMARIE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy! All comments and kudos are appreciated! Requests are still open at the moment so keep sending them through! :)

About a month had passed since the musical when it happened. Everyone suspected that it was because the two of them had just fallen out of the honeymoon phase of their rekindled relationship. Red and Kourtney both noted that this second honeymoon phase, despite being shorter than the first, was stronger than the previous, both of them having seen the separate starts to Ricky and Nini's relationships.

Some of them tried to argue that it was cute. Ashlyn, for one, found how infatuated the two of them were with one another adorable. Carlos and Seb sorta stood in the middle with it all - yes, it was nice to see the two of them together again and happy, but it's kinda hard to digest your food at the cafeteria table when the two of them are making out directly in front of you. Every. Single. Day.

EJ and Gina were both happy for the two of them despite their histories. In EJ's case, it was far easier to move on - when you're the popular co-captain of the Water Polo team, you're hardly limited on options on who you can move on with. Besides, he cares about Nini, and he likes to think that him and Ricky are somewhat friends now, so he's happy for the two of them. It was more difficult for Gina to adjust, but similar to EJ, she can see how happy Nini and Ricky make each other, and her new founded friendship with Nini helped the process a lot more than she thought it would.

Even then, the two of them agree on the fact that Nini and Ricky being all love-dovey seemingly 24/7 is simply stomach-churning.

Generally, the group was practically begging for the honeymoon phase to end so they could actually have a conversation with either Ricky or Nini without popping their personal, loved-up bubble that always seemed to block out everything but one another. They got their wish one morning during rehearsals, and almost immediately they were begging to go back to what they had.

"Neens, come on! You should at least consider it!"

They hear Ricky yelling first, but the one they actually see first is Nini, who stalks into the rehearsal room with a steeled and fiery expression on her face. Ricky scrambles in after her a few moments later, emotions more clear. He looks angry, but it's clear that he's trying not to be.

"We're not talking about this, Ricky! I've already decided!" Nini argues back adamantly, "I'm not taking it!"

"Oh, boy." EJ whistles, sitting up in his seat ever so slightly as the couple continue to argue in front of them all. It's a simple statement, but it eloquently sums up how all of them are feeling right now.

It's as if they're unaware that the others are there. Usually that wouldn't be so bad. Everyone knows that Ricky and Nini tend to slip into their own personal bubble anyway, and it didn't take long for them all to realize that once the two of them are in their (usually peaceful) bubble, it's hard to get through to them.

This is a different kind of bubble. If anything, it's more comparable to a nuclear reactor on meltdown than a bubble.

"They offered you a spot because you're talented, Nini! I don't get it!" Ricky exclaims exasperatedly, "I thought this was important to you!"

Nini scoffs, turning back to him with disbelief, "You know it is!"

"So why are you throwing it away?!"

The others all glance around at each other as the couple continue to argue, silently trying to fill in the blanks for one another. Most of them have no idea what they could possibly be arguing about, and none of them exactly want to intervene and ask. That'd be like running into a burning building with no protection and no clear way back out.

"Youth Actor's Conservatory." Kourtney murmurs quietly when everyone's eyes land on her. They had looked to Red first for an explanation considering that he's known the two of them for the longest, but he looked just as confused as the rest of them.

Nini told them all about the YAC soon after she got the offer. She said that she had some time to think about what she wanted to do, and they all mutually agreed that they'd support her fully regardless of their decision. They even went out to Denny's the night she told them all to celebrate. Ricky seemed a bit conflicted at first. Gina and Kourtney both picked up on it, but Red had said that Ricky seemed fine when he spoke to him about it a couple of days after so no one mentioned it again. They all understood that Nini had a lot to think about and none of them wanted to influence her decision. They all agreed that it wouldn't be fair. 

Maybe Ricky didn't get the memo.

"I'm not throwing anything away!" Nini cries frustratedly, hands clenched into fists so tightly that her knuckles are turning white at her sides.

"Yes you are!" Ricky snaps back, tone surprisingly harsh, and everyone's surprised because it's not the kind of tone he ever dares to use with Nini, "The deadline is tomorrow and you still haven't accepted the offer!"

"Maybe because I don't want to leave!"

Ricky shakes his head, shoving his hand into his pocket and pulling out a small paper slip. "I've got the number right here! Call her and tell her you'll go!" He insists, stepping forward and extending the paper out to her.

"Did you listen to what I just said?!" Nini practically screams, glancing between the paper and him in disbelief as she clenches her fists tighter, so tightly that her nails are practically cutting into the skin of her palms as she yells, "If you must know, I already called her and rejected the offer!"

That's when the pin drops, and Ricky visibly staggers back at her statement. Something crosses his face that's unreadable, and for a brief moment they're all convinced that it's over when Ricky asks in a low, unreadable tone, "Are you being serious?"

"Yes, Ricky. I am." Nini responds in a low tone that matches his, turning away from as she adds, "So just drop it already."

Ricky staggers back again, hurt registering across his face this time along with a flicker of something else that's unreadable again, and he looks like he's gonna say something when Miss Jenn strides into the room, heels clicking against the floor as she enters with her usual bubbly demeanor, blissfully unaware of what's just transpired.

"Good morning everybody!" She says cheerfully, glancing around the room with a warm smile on her face, still unperturbed by the harsh silence and shocked expressions across their faces, "What did I miss?"

None of them say anything at first, mostly because they're afraid of inciting a second round of the argument unintentionally in doing so. Nini, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have such a concern.

"Just Ricky trying to get rid of me as fast as possible."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Ricky argues, "Kourtney, tell her she's being ridiculous!" He exclaims, glancing into the stands for the first time for support, instantly regretting his choice when Kourtney shoots him a look.

"I wouldn't go down that road, Ricky. I meant it when I said I'm dismantling the patriarchy this year." 

Kourtney always means what she says, and promising to dismantle the patriarchy was no exception. Besides, Nini's her best friend, and even if she did agree with Ricky, she wouldn't say anything about it.

"I'm not the one being ridiculous, Ricky!" Nini yells back, adding quietly, "As usual."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Maybe she hadn't meant for him to hear that last part, although Ashlyn doubts that to be the case. She's sat right at the back and even she can hear it, and having musically tuned ears doesn't make you have super senses or anything.

It's like another match being thrown into the already explosive powder keg, and Miss Jenn continues to fade into the background as their argument continues on, becoming more explosive by the second as it does.

Nini points an accusatory, shaking finger in his direction, voice beginning to shake to match it, "You always do this! Y-you overreact to things and freak out and do this!"

"I'm the one overreacting?! I'm the one thinking logically here!"

"That's a first!"

Ashlyn's the one who finally intervenes. Standing from her seat, she tentatively suggests, "Okay, how about we call a ceasefire?" 

Carlos catches her arm. "Hold on, Ash. This is getting interesting."

"Carlos!" 

The others all shoot a look at him, even Seb, but he just shrugs. Forgive him for wanting to see how this pans out.

"Why would you drop the offer, Nini!? Are you crazy?!" Ricky questions angrily, looping the argument right back to where they left off. 

Nini breathes in shakily, fists clenched again as she takes a moment to try and compose herself. It doesn't work.

"No, Ricky! I'm not!"

"So why did you give up on the biggest opportunity of your life?!"

"There will be other opportunities, Ricky! Besides, I can still act here!"

"It's not the same and you know that!"

Ricky regrets it as soon as he says it, especially when he notices the way the others are all looking at him. They're not really hurt by it, but it's not exactly the nicest thing to hear. They know that their small scale productions don't compare to those that the YAC put on, but still.

"That's not what I meant." Ricky reasons before any of them can say anything about it, turning towards them all with a sincere and regretful expression, "You guys know that I didn't mean it like that."

He's not speaking to anyone in particular, and he seems beyond relieved when none of them argue back. He doesn't want to fight with anyone else today.

"Just drop it already!"

"Nini, it's not-!" 

He stops shouting when he finally turns back to her, staggering back for the third time when he sees her face. When he sees the tears in her eyes. 

"Please." Nini says quietly, voice cracking, "Just drop it, Ricky."

Part of him doesn't want too, because after what happened between them, he doesn't want to leave any arguments unsolved. He doesn't want to risk that happening again. 

But he can feel his own throat tightening as Nini turns away from him, shoulders shaking, and he feels all the words that were on his tongue die instantly along with a part of him.

* * *

"Is it bad that I miss the honeymoon phase?" Gina questions, absentmindedly spinning the straw around in her soda.

Most of the group is at Denny's. Carlos and Seb are in their corner of the booth as per usual, EJ and Gina opposite them. Ashlyn's sat beside Carlos, saving Red his usual spot as Gina saves Kourtney's hers. There's a noticeable gap in the middle of their usual booth. The spot that's usually reserved for Ricky and Nini. It sticks out like a sore thumb.

It's been a couple of days since Ricky and Nini had their argument, and all of them figured they would've made up by now. Turns out they all were all wrong by a long shot.

"Nope. I miss it too." Seb agrees, frowning, "I miss our double dates. Don't you, babe?" He says, glancing over at Carlos.

Carlos nods in agreement, smiling sadly at his boyfriend before glancing around at the others, "We were all supposed to go rollerblading and to the movies this week. We still went, but it wasn't the same."

"Have they spoken to each other since?"

"Kourt said she's been driving Nini to school the last couple days. Ricky tried to take her the other day but she refused to get in the car." Ashlyn explains, sighing, "And since they've been avoiding each other at school, I'm gonna go with no."

"It's driving me nuts." EJ cries, leaning back against the seat with an exasperated groan, "I can't get into the zone as the Beast with all the negative energy at rehearsals."

"Yeah, cause that's why." Ashlyn scoffs, rolling her eyes when EJ shoots an offended look in her direction. "But I have to agree with EJ on this one." She admits, shrugging.

"What can we do about it? Force them into a room with one another until they get along again?"

Gina scoffs at EJ's suggestion, "Ugh, that's so cliche. As if that would actually work in real life."

"It would work!" EJ argues defiantly.

"No it wouldn't!"

EJ quirks an eyebrow, "Have you got any ideas, then?"

Gina surprisingly doesn't have a comeback for that one, which is more worrying than good. If Gina hasn't got an idea, then how do the rest of them have any chance? Gina's always the one who knows what she's doing.

"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late!" Red says, rushing into the restaurant and taking his usual space beside Ashlyn, face flushed from rushing in.

"Where you been?" Ashlyn asks, eyebrow quirked.

"Ricky's." Red says with a sigh, scratching the back of his head before wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "He's uh, he's not doing so well."

"Really?" Carlos questions, though none of them are hardly surprised. Ricky's not exactly the best at handling his emotions when it comes to Nini. Good and bad.

"He was listening to Nini's song when I left him. On loop. Hugging a pillow."

"Oh, god."

Red nods in agreement, "Yeah. Not good."

Red's seen Ricky in a bad spot before. Right after the whole 'I Love You' incident, despite the break being his choice, he wasn't exactly doing too great. He'd hear at least ten complaints a day about how much he missed Nini and wanted to call her or see her but he that he couldn't because it was 'complicated'. Even then, that was nothing compared to what he just witnessed at his best friend's house.

Kourtney's the last to arrive, storming into the restaurant in a similar manner to how Red did just a few minutes later, sliding into the booth with a frustrated sigh, "Now, I'm all for Miss Independent Sal-Robs and all, but we gotta fix this!"

"Is she bad too?" 

Kourtney nods, "She was aggressively singing in her British accent when I left her. Think 'What I've Been Looking For', but ten times worse."

The same thought runs through all their minds. They've gotta fix this. They never thought they'd miss the honeymoon phase, but oh boy, they do.

"My idea's not looking so bad now, is it?" EJ questions, looking around the group with a triumphant expression despite not achieving anything.

Now, normally, EJ would be the last person that any of them would look to for a genius idea. That's not to say he's not intelligent - his GPA proves that he is - but he's not exactly the most intelligent person when it comes to general common sense. You know those people that are incredibly smart academically but an idiot otherwise? Yeah, that pretty much sums up EJ.

At the same time, it's not like anyone else has a bright idea for them to work with, which leads them with just one choice.

"What you got, EJ?"

* * *

"Hey, Ash! I got your text." Nini says, tone surprisingly cheerful as she walks into the bomb shelter, placing her bag on the table before strolling over to her friend, "What's up?"

Ashlyn smiles, turning around on the piano seat to face Nini as she walks over. She has to stop the satisfied grin that's threatening to form on her face at the sight of her. That's one part of the plan successfully completed. Now she just needs Carlos to pull through with the second part.

"Hey, Nini! I was wondering if you could help me with my new song." Ashlyn replies, nodding to the piano with a sheepish smile, "I'm struggling to find the right chords."

"Of course!" Nini responds enthusiastically, taking a seat by the piano next to her, "Where do you wanna start?"

"I was thinking we could start with the chorus. It's kinda a backwards approach, but I thought that it'd be-."

Ashlyn's phone dings then and she rushes to check it, grinning to herself when she sees Carlos' confirmation text. They're here. They're ready for phase two of the plan.

"Everything okay?" 

"Yeah. My mom's just asking what time I'll be home for dinner." Ashlyn lies smoothly, surprising herself. She's not exactly the best liar among the bunch. She doesn't know if that's a good or a bad thing. "Speaking of food, I'm just gonna go grab some snacks from my locker. We could be here awhile." She adds, hastily standing up and heading for the door before Nini can really question it, and she's out of the door before the other girl can get a word in.

Nini quirks an eyebrow, slightly confused, but she doesn't question it as she turns back to the piano, looking at the sheets Ashlyn's left behind as she begins to run through the chords. 

She figured helping Ash out with this would be a good distraction. The last couple of days have been kinda rough. She could do with a break from Ricky for a minute.

"I'd love to help, Carlos, but songwriting isn't really my-."

Maybe she spoke too soon.

Ricky stills right by the door, stunned, "Nini?" 

"Ricky?"

The two of them stare at each other for a second, the silence awkward and painful, and the only thing that breaks it is the sound of the door slamming and locking shut behind them. Nini springs up from her seat and rushes towards the door, reaching it a couple of seconds after Ricky and banging on the door with both fists.

"Hey, Ash! What the hell?!" She yells, fists pounding on the door continuously as Ricky begins to mimic her actions.

"Carlos, open the door!"

"Sorry, guys!" Red calls through the door, surprising the both of them. 

"Seriously, Red?!"

"You'll thank us later!" Kourtney chimes in confidently, and Nini groans just like Ricky did before her.

"Kourt, come on!"

"You guys will thank us later!" Gina adds. God, is everyone out there or something?

"Are you all out there?!" Nini questions accusingly, fists falling away from the door as she quits trying to knock it down. They call this place the bomb shelter for a reason. They're not getting out of here anytime soon.

They don't get a response from anyone after that, and Nini faintly picks up on the sound of footsteps receding from the other side of the door. Great, they're stuck in here.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She groans, pushing off the door and crossing to the side of the room as Ricky scoffs behind her.

"Is it that bad to me in a room with me now?"

"Stop it, Ricky!" Nini groans, stopping by the edge of the piano and leaning against it with an exasperated groan, fists clenching as Ricky argues back.

"Stop what?!"

"This! Reading into everything that I say!"

"Only if you stop treating me like an idiot!" 

"I don't treat you like an idiot!"

"Yes you do!" Ricky insists, stepping towards her shakily as he begins to spiral, "You don't talk to me about things because you think I'm too dumb to understand them!"

"That's not true!"

"So why didn't you tell me that you rejected the offer?" Ricky asks, tone soft and suddenly calm, and Nini's taken aback by it. He doesn't sound angry this time. Just hurt and confused, and it makes her chest hurt painfully.

"Because I knew you'd freak out like this!" She sighs, trying and failing to shake her own anger as she yells back at him, trying to ignore the painful sinking feeling that's building in her chest the more she looks at him, "Why were you so desperate for me to take it?! It's like you want me to leave or something!"

That's the part that hurt her the most. The fact that he wanted her gone so badly. He knows that she'd have to leave Salt Lake to go to the YAC. That she'd have to leave him. It's been weighing on her mind painfully ever since she got the offer. She thought it was the same for him. 

"That is the last thing I want, Nini! I already lost you once! Do you seriously think I want to make that mistake again!?" He cries back, voice cracking as a heavy lump begins to form in his throat, and this time Nini's the one staggering back. He stops, face flushing red from his sudden outburst, and he paces over to the piano seat, slumping down into it with a defeated sigh, "I knew how good of an opportunity this was for you, and when you first told me, all I wanted was for you to reject it because I didn't want you to leave." 

"Ricky-."

Nini's throat contracts painfully as she looks at him, aware of the tears beginning to form in her eyes to match the ones in his. This is not how she saw her day panning out.

"I was angry when you first told me. And I felt stupid and selfish for thinking like that so I didn't tell you, and that's why I wanted you to take it so badly." He rambles, wringing his hands together restlessly as his leg twitches, and Nini frowns at the sight of it.

It's exactly what Ricky does when he's upset and nervous. She picked up on it before they were even together. Back when they were just friends as kids. He always used to do it before they went on rollercoasters, which is funny considering he was always (and still is) the one telling her to 'live a little'. She always hates to see him like that. Even when they're fighting.

Nini moves around the piano, taking a seat in the empty space beside him. "You remember what I told you that day you turned up at my house after-." Her voice trails off when she notices the shift in his face, instantly feeling bad for bringing it up.

They still don't talk about his Mom much. She always listen whenever he brings her up, waiting to offer all the support and comfort he denies but still needs, but she's usually not the one to bring her up. It still hurts him even if he won't admit it. She knows.

She reaches out and takes his hand in her own for the first time in days, and she hadn't realized how much she missed him until that point. She runs her thumb over the top of his hand, mimicking what he usually does for her because she knows that it always makes her feel better. Safer.

"You can always talk to me about anything. Anytime."

He nods, swallowing back the lump in his throat, "I know. It's just-."

"I know, Ricky. It's okay." She responds, tone soft and reassuring as her thumb continues to move back and forth. A grounding rhythm. 

"I know you wanted me to take it, and part of me did too." 

"So why didn't you?"

His tone isn't accusatory this time. Just confused. 

"Because part of me didn't. I know it was a big opportunity, but there's gonna be others." 

She's holding onto that fact, because part of her regrets turning down the offer. Part of her knows that she would've had a huge advantage in the industry if she took it. 

At the same time, part of her hated the thought of taking it. Hated the thought of leaving Salt Lake and her moms and her friends behind. Hated leaving Ricky behind. She couldn't bear it.

"I know. Because you, Nina Salazar-Roberts, are the most beautiful and talented girl that I know. And that is exactly why I love you."

She smiles when he says it. She knows that he does, but she also knows that sometimes it's still hard for him to say it out loud. She understands why now. But the difference now is that she knows she's loved, and whenever he can't say it, he always shows it.

Even if he's not the best with his words.

"Well, it's one of the reasons why, because there's loads more but I can't exactly list them all because I'd probably lose track and then we'd just keep going in a circle and we'd be her-."

She kisses him softly, cutting him off as her hands come up to cup the side of his face, his landing on her waist as he responds with just as much enthusiasm. It's a short kiss, simple, and she pulls back to rest her forehead against his, smiling softly as he lets out a breathy chuckle.

It's only been a couple of days, but she missed doing that.

"I love you too, Ricky." She murmurs softly and honestly, thumb caressing his cheek as she adds, "And I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." He agrees, adding with a small laugh, "I think Carlos and Seb are mad that we missed our double dates this week."

She smiles, "We'll make it up to them." He pulls back for a moment, quirking an eyebrow at her, and she looks at him quizzically, "What is it?"

"You reckon we could stay in here for a couple more minutes?"

She smiles, biting her lip as she glances down at his, and she answers him by kissing him for the second time of many that day.


End file.
